Photos taken by Shruti Elango (University of Virginia), Student Correspondent for CET Siena, Summer 2023
Every Wednesday morning, there is a large market from 8 AM-13 PM. There are an array of clothes, shoes, food, and flowers. This week, I bought a large bag of cherries for 6 euros and some sandals for 18 euro. There’s almost anything you would need on the Wednesday morning markets.
Over the weekend, my friends at CET Siena and I went to the Amalfi Coast and stayed at a hotel in Sorrento. We got to see the beautiful cliffs of Capri and the beaches of Positano. Positano and Capri are known for their lemons, and they’re usually the size of a small baseball hat. We also rented out a skipper and a boat to swim in a nearby cave— a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Before heading back to Siena to resume classes, we stopped by Pompeii on Sunday. Pompeii is more than just the ruins I expected it to be and contains a lot of history. There were fast food shops and running water systems for the higher-class citizens. In the museum, we saw the plaster molds of the people killed by Mount Vesuvius, which can still be seen today in the city center.
Classes
I started the week on Monday with my Sienese Art History class. We went on a field trip to the Siena Duomo and learned a lot about egg tempura painting, wood paneling, and frescos. We learned a lot about how to tell the difference between art styles as they ranged from the Dark Ages to the Middle Ages, then finally, the Renaissance. It was such a great experience to study art as it was presented right in front of us, and my Art History Professor, Silvia Giorgi, worked hands-on to help discover the crypts under the Duomo itself.
For Art History, we were lucky to visit the Abbey of Monte Oliveto Maggiore, a large Benedictine monastery in the Italian region of Tuscany. There we met a monk from Louisiana and had the opportunity to tour the monastery that is alive and well; it’s currently still working. The artwork of frescos was breathtaking, and seeing the art of Giovanni Bazzi in person was truly amazing. We also peeked into the monastery’s library and looked at some of the oldest books.
Over the weekend me and my roommate Cassie visited the beach as a small weekend trip. We went to Castiglione della Pescaia in Tuscany, a 2-hour bus ride from Siena. We left around 8 AM and returned around 18 PM, spending the entire day playing in the water, tanning in the sand, and reading our new books. It was such a great beach day, and the water was one of the bluest I had ever seen.
Palio di Siena
As the week coming up to the Palio, a bareback horserace of 10/17 contradas in Siena, the town is buzzing with excitement. On Tuesday and Wednesday at 5:30 AM, there are trials to pick the best horses people have brought from over Italy to compete. The stands were crowded by 4:30, and it was a wild sight to see every contrada heckling each other.
After taking a walk after my class on Thursday, I was lucky to see the Snail contrada drumming and marching to get everyone excited for the upcoming Palio. On June 29th, the horses get picked and selected for each of the ten contradas— a momentous occasion for the contradas and captains alike.
July 2nd was the first Palio di Siena. The Palio is a bareback horserace that started in the 12th century between 10 of the 17 contradas that make up Siena. It Is a huge deal for the winning contrada because this race occurs only twice a year— one in July and the other in August. This has been a tradition that has kept on throughout history. My apartment in Via Montanini is part of the Lupa contrada; unfortunately, Lupa was not racing for the July Palio.
Siena was buzzing for the whole week leading up to the Palio and me and my roommates went to see the unveiling of the Palio flag, which was a huge moment for the city. Additionally, on the day of the Palio, we camped out in the Piazza del Campo from 2 PM until the race, which ended up starting at 8 PM. Although the race was only 2 minutes long, it was electric! Selva won, and they spent the next couple of days celebrating in the streets for their feat!
July 4th is a holiday that many of us CET students were missing back home: the food, fireworks, and most of all— the family. CET was kind enough to organize a potluck to bring together all of our favorite American foods at a fun picnic! We made cake, mac and cheese, chili, fruit salad, and hot dogs! I genuinely hadn’t felt this round in forever; the food was great and reminded me of home.